and that in a moment, but first, to the eventsofrussia. themedia or was first spotted at around 9:20 a.m. local time. russia's academy of science said it into the atmosphere at a speed of over 50,000 kilometers per hour and then shattered into pieces. >> the media is thought to have been just about two meters across, but that was enough to cause a massive sonic boom, and it was far from harmless. hundreds of people were injured, most of them by shattering glass. >> a rare moment caught on camera -- don turned to daylight as the media or into the earth's atmosphere with a bang -- dawn turned to daylight. it streaked above the sky leaving a white trail. mobile phones stopped working. the shock wave set off car alarms, and local residents were left wondering what was happening. >> i saw something moving in the sky. then there was a flash. we thought it was fireworks. that was followed by an explosion. the weather broke. t, bread, and water -- everything felony floor. -- the window for. >> windows were blown out of dozens of buildings. most of the injuries were light. hundreds have been treated at local

ofrussiainthis context. when it comes to this issue, there are really quite a few differences between the two sides, but they are not really relevant. it is the united states and russia that have to reach an understanding when it comes to dealing with the syrian crisis. iran is important when it comes to the army of the opposition, but politically speaking, russia is the main supporter of the opposition. >> thanks very much. >> in germany, chancellor angela merkel is looking at the possibility of perhaps having to reshuffle her cabinet. after a university committee withdrew the doctoral title from, of all people, the country's education minister after finding she had plagiarized her thesis. >> commentators are comparing this to the transportation minister being caught drunk driving or the finance minister hiding cash in monaco. for now, though, the chancellor is giving her support. >> the german cabinet is full of doctors. the finance minister, the foreign affairs minister, the economy minister and vice chancellor, and, of course, the chancellor herself, dr. angela merkel. it is an un

are urging the north koreans not to follow through. some from japanandrussiaarescheduled to meet next week to coordinate their efforts. diplomats are finalizing arrangements for a visit to russia by japanese prime minister shinzo abe. russian politicians have some influence with their counterparts in north korea. the diplomats are expected to explore ways to dissuade leaders in pyongyang to carry out what would be a third nuclear test. they're also expected to discuss a dispute over islands off japan's northernmost prefecture, halkido. the japanese are expected to restake their claims to the four island and discuss a peace treaty. >>> two trains have collided in south africa. at least 150 people were hurt, >>> the treasury department needs to be able to pay their bills. they have to have enough money to operate otherwise they face a possible default. the bill was passed on thursday. the u.s. government needed to pass the bill. that's because the debt already reached a ceiling of $16.4 trillion set by law. the bill is putting pressure on both chambers of commerce by mid-april. republic

a research center neardamascus.russiasaysthe facts are not yet clear but adds that any air strike would be completely unacceptable. >> we are analyzing the information as we receive it. if the allegations are confirmed, then it is our position this is a serious breach of the united nations charter. this would be an unacceptable action against a sovereign government. >> the syrian media say two people were killed when israeli jets bombed the research center near damascus and five more injured. israel has not commented on the allegations, but the israeli government had warned syria this week that it would not accept any syrian weapons falling into the hands of hezbollah. israelis are concerned about the possibility of a chemical weapons attack. people have been stockpiling gas masks for months. >> i would rather actually use it as a warning sign, by which israel is warning both hezbollah and assad that israel is well aware of what is going on. >> israelis fear for their safety. the air strikes marked an escalation in the conflict. now syria says it reserves the right to retaliate. >> in a